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How did the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution affect Xinjiang?

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Pagoda near Tian Lake — Xinjiang Pagoda close to Tian Lake, Ürümqi, Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China.

The Great Leap Forward (1958–1960) and the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) introduced radical policies in Xinjiang that caused significant disruption and instability in the region.1

The implementation of these policies led to widespread food shortages, which, compounded by the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations in the early 1960s, triggered a mass exodus of Kazakh people into the Soviet Union in 1962. This migration resulted in severe political instability and heightened ethnic tensions along the border areas.1

Following the conclusion of the Cultural Revolution, the central government moderated its political and economic policies in the region. This shift contributed to relative stability, economic growth, and improvements in the livelihoods of local farmers and pastoralists.1